Combined garbage-can and rat-trap.



H. SCHALLMAN.

COMBINED GARBAGE CAN AND RAT TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. ISIS.

Patented Apr. 24,1917.

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LHannut soHALLi/IAN,"'or'voHioA'Go, ILLrNois5 -ooiitiaiimn GARBAGE-GAN AND RAT-TRAP.

Tor all 'whom i may concern Be it known that I, HARRY SCHALLMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofChicago, inthe county offCook and State of. Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Garbage- Cans andk RatlTraps; kand Igdo hereby de;- clare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and `to thev `letters of referencemarked thereon, which formd a -part ofthisspecification.

c This invention relates to a combined garbage canand yrat trap. n y

Among theobjects of my invention is to provide a comblned garbage can and rat trap ofsuch constructionthat the trap may bevreadily removed from beneaththebottom of the can, when it is desired to clean the theJ rodents caught thereby,

trap or4 destroy and, y further, to rovide a 'construction wherein the odors othematter deposited in theycan may j enter andrpenetrate the trap and serve as the baittherefor.; A further objectof the inventionis to provide a construction wherein the can'and trap may be made'andfusedas a complete unit.

The invention consists further `in the matters` hereinafter described and more particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

Iny the accompanying drawings-- Fi re 1 is a perspective view'of a combine in accordance with my invention; s

Fig. 2 isy a rvertical sectional view taken through the bottom wall of the can and trap -located therebelow;

Fig. `3is'a perspective view of the trap completely removed n from ,the garbage can Fig.` 4 is `a sideelevational view with parts in "section, showing a ratprlike trap em,- bodying the features of my invention appliedk to that type of garbage can which is pivotally mountedinan opening formed in a back yard'or like fence; n i Fig. 5 is a; perspective view of parts shown Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of one of the selfclosing doors ofthe trap and its locking device. l

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, I have .shown a rat or like trap embodying the features of my invention as being combined with a garbage` or other refuse can vor receptacle 10 of the rportable Specification of Letters Patent.

yAplzolicacion led November," 1915. Serial No.

`stantially the same sizev as .the ground.

vsaid-legs 16,

lat each ofthe garbage cank and rat trap constructed .cated in such space is a rat orflike ftrap 19 comprises top and bottom walls 24, 25.

walls of the same.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917. 59,710. type; Istiaanic ,is preferabiy made of sheet metal and comprises connected upright side walls 11, 11 and a bottom wall l2. As

`illustrated, said can 10 is ,lmaderectangular in form, and its open`,upper end is closed by a suitable removable vlid or cover y13, the latter being provided at the top thereof with a handle V14. Said can 10 is reinforced at each of its four corners by a metal brace rod 415, 15 riveted or otherwise secured upon Lthe outside of the can body and extending the full length thereof. Said brace rods 15, 15

extend equall distances belowthe bottom wall 12 of the can and form legs 16, 16 at the corners thereof.y Said legs 16, 16 support the can in an uprightposition with its ybottom wall 12-.above the ground. Located below said bottom wall'12 isa flat base plate `17 preferably ,made of sheet metal and suby said bottom wall 12. f Said base plate 17 islocated within the legs 16, 16 and is securedtodthe lower extremities thereof. When the can 10 is set vupon itslegs, `said 'base plate17 rests upon 4 Any typeof means may be employed for vsecuring 'said base plate 17 to 16, but as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, u vfour corners thereof with an upwardly extending, integral lug 18, 18,

which is riveted or otherwise secured to the associated leg 16, 16.

It will be` noted that Vtherev is a space formed between the bottom wall 12 of the can and said base plate 17. Slidably lotrap 19 preferably made of sheet `metal and rectangular or box-like in form. (SeefFig. 3.) Said trap 19 slidablyrests' on said base plate 17 and is made of such size as to fill the space between 'the bottom wall 12 and saidbase plate 17. Inasmuch as said base plate17I rests on the effect rests on the ground, when the trap .is located beneath the bottom walll -of* the can 10. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, said connected uprightside 20, 21, 22, and 23, and The upright marginal walls 20, 22 constitute the front and rear walls of the trap, while the upright marginal walls 21, 23l form the end The rear wall 22 andy the end walls 21 and 23 are each provided ork marginal walls `with ,an opening forming ,a doorway 2,6, the

said base plate 17 is provided ground, the trap 19 in v latter being normally closed by a self clos ing door 27. Each door 27 is a trifle larger than its doorway, and said door is located inside of the trap. Said door 27 has hinged connection along its upper edge with the trap wall above the doorway, so that the door may be readilyl swung inward by the rodent entering the trap, but will immediately swing back into its closed position by the action of gravity thereon as soon as the rodent'has passed the same. Each door 27 may be hinged to the trap wall in any desired manner in order to accomplish the purposes described, but, as shown, each door is hung on a horizontally arranged hinge or pintle rod 28 secured to the inner face of the trap wall'above the doorway by means of a metal strap member 29. Said strap member 29 is secured to the trap wall and has its lower portion'bent into tubular form and encircling the central portion of said hinge rod. Each door 27 is made of sheet metal andhas portions 29a of its upper margin bent into tubular form about the associated pintle rod 28 on eachside of said trap member 29. (See Fig. 2.)

The trap 19 resting practically on the ground, the lower edge of each doorway 26 is in effect substantially flush "with the 'surface of the ground, andth'erefore each doorway is in a position readily reached by the animals to be caught. 'To permit the rat or animal to be removed from the trap, I provide an exit opening 30' in lthe front wall 2O thereof; Said opening 30 `is normally closed by a sliding door 31, which may be moved endwise in vchannel-shaped guide members 32, 32 secured above and below said doorway 30.' The inner end of said sliding door 31 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 33 constituting a handle for said door as' well as a stop member, which,"wh`en it comes'into contact with'the opposed ends of saidguide members 32, 32,limits the'endwise movement of said sliding door, when the latterireaches its position completely closing said exit opening 30.

As shown in Fig. 2, the top the'trap 19 contacts against/the under side of the bottom wall 12 of the receptacle or can 10. Said contacting walls arevprovided with registering openings'or holes 311, 35, so that the odors ofthe matter deposited in the can 10 may enter and penetrate the trap 19 and serve as bait therefor. Manifestly, it is Iunnecessary to place bait inthe trap, when the latter is insertedbeneath the can 10.` The end and front walls of the trap are each provided with a plurality of holes or apertures 36, 36 whereby air may circulate through the trap and, further, topermit water to enter the trap when the same is completely removed from the can`10 and submerged in a body of water for the'purwall 24 of pose of destroying the rodents caught in the trap by drowning, as well a's for the purpose of washing out the trap and maintaining the same in a cleanl and sanitary condition. The trap 19 is inserted beneath the bottom wall 12 of the can 10 by sliding the same into the space between said bottom wall 12 and the base plate 17, and removed from the canby withdrawing said trap from said space. The legs 16, 16 secured to the side wall of the can 10 that substantially alines kwith the rear wall 22 of the trap 19 are spaced apart a distance less than the width of the trap, while the legs secured to the opposite wall of lthe can are spaced apart adistance sufficient to permit the trap 19 to slide therebetween. rlhe trap 19, when inserted beneath thebottom wall of the can r10, contacts against said first mentioned set of legs 16, 16, and the latter serve as stop members and prevent the'trap from being pushed beyond its proper position beneath said can. `ln order to prevent the'trap 'from being withdrawn endwise from beneath the can' 10, I provide on eachside of the can a guard strip 87, 37, which extends downward below the 'bottom wall 12 and overlaps the upper marginal portion of theassociated endwall 21', 23 of the trap. (See Fig. 1.)

)When the trap 19 is to be completely removed from beneath the can for the purpose ofdestroying the rats caught therein, it is necessary to first lock 'each door 27in its closed position` in order to prevent said doors from swinging open and permitting a rodent `to escapefrom thetrap. 'To accomplish this purpose, I providev each door with 'a locking member in the rform of an endwise slidable locking bolt 37a. Said bolt is slidably mounted onthe exterior face of the door 27 in a tubularportion 38 struck up from the door. One end of the boltis provided with a handle 39, and the other end of said bolt is offset outwardly to provide a catch 4() adapted 'to engage over the associated edge of the doorway, when the bolt is moved endwise' intoits locking position. (See full lines, Fig. 6.) The'length of the bolt is `less than the extreme width of the door 27, and consequently said bolt does not extendbeyond the side edges of the door when said bolt is inits unlocking position. (See dotted lines Fig.` 6.) Then in such position said bolt 87ais carried by the door when thefl'atter is swung inward.

As shown in Fig. 1, the canor receptacle 10 is provided on opposite sides thereof with handles 11 whereby the can may be raised for the purpose of dumping th'esame.

In Fig. 2 I have shown in dotted lines the trap 19 as being partially withdrawn from beneath the can 10.

In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown said rat trap 19 as being applied to a portable type of garbage or other refuse can, while in Figs. 4 and 5 I- have illustrated said trap as being combined with a self dumping type of` garbage can. As shown in Fig. 4, the can 42 is placed in a suitable opening 43 formed in a backyard or other fence 44. Said can 42 ishinged along one of its bottom edges so that the can may be readily swung outward and downward through said opening for the purpose of dumping said can.r As illustrated, said can is rectangular in form and has connected upright side walls 45, 45 and a bottom wall 46. A suitable lid or cover 46@ may be used to close the open upper end of the can 42. Each corner of the can body is reinforced by a metal bracing strip 47,y 47, the latter extending the full length of 'the can, but not below the bottom wall 46 thereof, as in case of the similar part shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Located beneath said bottom wallv 46 is an open box-shapedemetal frame 48 having four upright corner posts 49, 49, each being in substantially vertical alinement with the associated bracing strip 47 and forming in effect a downward continuation thereof. The bottom wall of said frameV 48 is formed by a base plate 50, which rests `on the ground and is similar to the like part 17 shown in Figs. 1 and2. The upper ends of said posts 49, 49 are connected `'by metal strips 51, 51, which surround the upper portion of said frame 48. 1` The can 42 seats on said frame 48, and the latter supports the bottom wall plate 50. The trap 19 is slidably mounted in the frame 48, and said trap seats on the upper face of 'the base plate 50.` The to wall 24 of the trap contacts with the under side of the bottom wall 46, and said walls are provided with registering holes or apertures 34, 35, the same as the corresponding parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The can 42 is hinged to the frame 48 therebelow by a horizontally arranged rod 52. Such hinge construction is made byiproviding upright lugs 5,3, 53 on the frame and depending lugs 54, 54 on the can, said lugs being bent abouty said rod 52, as shown. In order toprevent the frame 48 and trap 19 from being tilted when the can 52 is being dumped, the frame may beweighted down in any desired manner or attached to the fence 44.

From the above it is clear tha't my invention may be applied to a tilting, yas well as.

to a portable, can, and, in either case, the odors of the matter contained in the can serve as bait for the trap, and also that the trap rests on the ground and will always be in a position readily accessible to ratsl or rodents that it is designed to capture. In either case, the trap is located below the bottom wall of the can and therefore does not interfere with the use of the ycan nor the dumping thereof. Moreover, the trap, be-

46 of the can above the base ing combined with a garbage can, is always at the place where the rats are most likely to congregate for food, and thereby is more efficient than if set at some place removed from the can. When the'trap is applied to 7., the portable type of can, or to a dumping kind of can, the can and trap maybe assembled at the time of making and be set up andused as a complete unit.

Although I have shown and described in detail a.k combined garbage can and rat trap, it is to be of course'understood that the exact details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to be confined to the exact details of construction and arrangement of parts shown, except as pointed out in the annexed claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A portable garbage or other refuse can having a bottom wall, legs secured to said can and extending below said bottom wall for supporting said can and its bottom wall above the ground, a rat trap located beneath said bottom wall and being slidably and removably mounted between said legs, said trap having a top wall, upright side walls, and a bottom wall, the latter being substantially iiush with the surface of the ground when the trap is located beneath said can; the top wall of said trap being adjacent the bottom wall of said can, and said walls being provided with registering holes whereby the odors. of the matter deposited in said can may enter said trap and serve as bait therefor, said trap being provided in one of p its upright side walls with a doorway,

through which a rodent may enter said trap, an inwardly swinging door for normally closing said doorway, said trap being provided with an opening permitting the rodent caught by said trap to be removed therefrom, and a door for closing said opening.

2. A `portable garbage or other refuse can having a bottom wall, legs secured to said can and extending below said bottom wall for supporting said can and its bottom wall above the ground, a base plate secured to ysaid legs and adapted to contact with the ground, a rat trap having a bottom wall, a top wall, and upright side walls, said trap being removably inserted beneath the bottom wall of said can and having its bottom wall slidably mounted on said base plate, the top wall of said trap being adjacent the bottom wall of said can, and said walls being provided with registering holes whereby the odors of the matter deposited in said can may enter said trap and serve as bait therefor, said trap' being provided in one of its upright side walls with a doorway, through which a rodent may enter said tra an inwardly swinging door fo-r normally closing said doorway, said trap being provided with A rat or like' trap mede of sheet metal and having connected side, top, und bottoni Walls, one of the side walls o' said trap being provided with an opening through which e rodent may enter seid trap, en inwardly swinging door for nornrally closing said entrance opening, 2 looking member for lool;- ing said door in closed position, said trap being provided in one of the other of its side Walls With'an opening whereby the rodents Copies of this patent may be obtained for muy be removed from said trap, a sliding door `for closing seid last named opening; and the side and top walls of said trap being provided with n plurality of holes, for permitting air und light to enter said trap.

ln testimony, that I Claim the foregoing its my invention I a'liix my signature in the presence of tu'o Witnesses, this' 3rd day of November, A. D. 1915.

HARRY SCHfrLLh/IAN.

Vitnesses EUGENE (l/"WANN, CLARA L. PnoPLns.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Woshington, D. C. 

